Need Help!!

Hello,

In a 09 1500 Laramie my lower dash quit working last Friday. So everything that controls the heat, heated seats/steering wheel, ESP. And a the same time the BAS/ESP light came on the instrument panel as well as the anti skid light and air bag light. And then on Saturday morning the truck dead. Battery was at 8v. So I jumped and it got it started. Alternator was putting out 14.6. It charged the battery and it has held 12V since.

A friend of mine was a Ford mechanic, so he has the snap on computer. We hooked it. and while we were looking around, the problem went away. Don't know why or how, but it went away.

Well it is back this morning. Initially I was chasing the problem of the idiot lights on the dash. But now I am wondering if those are on because the lower dash isn't functioning.

I am lost at this point and need any help that I can get.

Thank you in advance.

1 of 3 things stands out to me. The BCM or the module for those options are going bad, which is usually not the case, or the ground for the PCM is lose or going bad. Next time it goes out, give the lower dash a swift kick to the face and see it if lights back up. If it does there is a lose or bad wiring issue showing up! If the battery was low these trucks get real cranky and it might be time for a battery, or find the reason it was low.

What doesnt make sense is that the traction light came on, it defaults to on so that would mean it was turned off. That would again lead me to thing the module.

On a side note the newer cars and trucks get really odd when the battery starts to die, Land Rovers are the worst, but these trucks start to get some odd habits that make no sense but always lead to a new battery.

On a side note the newer cars and trucks get really odd when the battery starts to die, Land Rovers are the worst, but these trucks start to get some odd habits that make no sense but always lead to a new battery.

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I think William S. is onto something and has the right ideas at least to start with. If you haven't done so, clean off the battery cable connections really well, as good as you can get them. Secondly, the ground strap that goes to the body and engine should be loosened and wiggled, or removed and cleaned altogether. If there's a connector on the ground cable to the body, make sure it's good and clean. Doesn't hurt to coat with copper antiseize. Also, keep a multimeter in your truck (even a cheap $5 Harbor Freight one) and when the problem occurs, get out and double-check the output of the alternator (between the battery terminals). Keep in mind that at hwy speeds it might not be charging, but 'could' be charging at idle.

I own a Land Rover and I've seen the problems William suggested. And actually any newer car can start to act flaky when the alternator output goes bad, and in GM manuals the first thing they tell you to do is ensure ground connections are very good.

In my Land Rover (and most people's on the L/R forums), a weak alternator output will cause the gauge cluster will go flakey and flicker, dimm, cause the needles to float all over the place and cause the battery not to charge. I've seen it, experienced it. Many people have been on a wild goose chase ..replacing clusters and tracking down the wiring. Actually, a glazed alternator belt can slip and also alternator pulleys can become worn (sharp peaks) and also slip and can cause the same thing. On Land Rover V8's the belt can be installed incorrectly and 'seem' right but not be tight enough and will slip under load. I don't know if that's possible on dodge's. So, double-check those items. The symptoms are worse when additional accessories are being used (like lights/heater blower/seat heaters) as it is now when it gets dark and cold out in the fall ..and at highway speeds when the alternator speed can't catch up.

A lot of people change the alternator (and belt) and the problem goes away and a lot of times it was ...or wasn't the alternator, but the new belt/pulley, or cleaning the terminals that occurred during the alternator changing process. In those cases the repair guy says it was the alternator, but in fact it might NOT have been the alternator. On your '09 ...who knows, the alt brushes may be wearing down to a nub. You should be able to look carefully between the alternator cooling slats at the top or side of the alt (towards the rear) with a good flashlight and inspect the condition of the commutator shaft (where the brushes 'ride'). Sometimes you'll see one part of the shaft really worn down from a brush ..and it's a good time to replace the alt. But if they both look perfect and unworn, check connections.

So, doing the above things are cheap and simple things to look at first. If that doesn't do the trick, I would gently wiggle the connectors at the BCM and any/all connectors, relays and fuses up at the computer (box by the battery). Leave the airbag fuses/connectors alone. Some slight corrosion at a contact point can lead to intermittent issues.

^^^^^X2 on the bad battery, I've seen all kinds of weird symptoms...

Just went to grab some lunch here at work.

The truck starts fine, doesn't slow crank or anything, but now I notice power locks do not work, and wipers do not work.

Clean all the connections first and foremost. Not just battery but to the body and engine ...computer as well. Check power and grounds. Everything on these trucks goes through the computer. If the chips in the computer or modules aren't seeing 'clean' power, then it goofs up the chips' logic and things that you would think wouldn't matter start going haywire. Most electronics are the same way.

That's the first thing electronic technicians look for, it's the first thing it says to check on almost every page of the factory automotive manuals dealing with electronic problems ...and the first thing a good mechanic is going to look for. If it continues after contact cleaning, it could be bad battery, Alternator, corroded traces or connections at the TIPM (computer). The main computer up by the battery isn't as environmentally isolated as you'd think it could be. So corrosion there is something to be looked at if the other simple things don't clear it up. There are some youtube videos about corrosion at the computer.

Just went out a few minutes ago and started the truck, now all of the brake system lights are on. The more I look into this, and the more I think about this,I am just honestly not going to have the time to look at it myself. I really appreciate the responses.

One more questions, is this something that would have to be looked at by a dealer or should a reputable garage have the knowledge? Like if it needed programming or reflashed at any point, could a garage do it or is that dealer only?

My 14 ram finally needed a battery replacement the day before it went bad I had a whole Christmas tree as a dashboard last week. I let it sit over night and nothing truck was dead. Checked the battery and bingo that was my culprit. I bought a new battery and started right up no problems. Just my 2 cents.


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Well it is done... Truck has been fixed

In talking back and forth with the mechanic we decided to try the battery first as it was only holding 10v under load. They had it all of Wednesday after putting the battery in. They test and drove it several times and told me it was good to go. When I got there and went to start it up, all of the issues came back. I talked to the owner of the shop and left it there.

More diagnosis on Thursday lead the the TIPM being the issue. Today new one was installed and flashed. I have the truck now and time will tell if I have anymore issues.

Thanks for all the information from those that helped.

However, this puts a bad taste in my mouth for Dodge. This is the first Dodge I have owned (normally a Ford guy) and having these issues with only 38,000 on it worry me for was is coming in the future......